As noon approached, the scorching sun blazed down.
Xiao Yan, as usual, was spending time in the small forest behind the Xiao family estate, avoiding reality. Only here could he escape the ridicule of others.
Over the past year, his cultivation had completely stalled at the third level of Dou Disciple. No matter how hard he trained, the energy absorbed into his body vanished without a trace before it could be refined.
"Sigh, this damned Dou Qi. Why am I so unlucky?" Xiao Yan stopped his meaningless training, leaned back, and collapsed onto the soft grass.
Through the gaps between the trees, a blinding ray of sunlight stung Xiao Yan's eyes. He didn't move away, squinting and silently enduring the slight pain until his stomach growled.
"Time for lunch." Xiao Yan got up, dusted off his hands, and began walking down the mountain.
On his way to the Xiao family's dining hall, a commotion from a crowd caught Xiao Yan's attention. Out of curiosity, he moved closer.
When he saw Xiao Se in the crowd, Xiao Yan's pupils shrank. "It's him..."-
At that moment, several voices of Xiao family girls rose beside Xiao Yan.
"Sister Mei'er, who is Cousin Xiao Ning challenging? I've never seen him before. He's quite handsome, but I wonder how strong he is."
Xiao Mei shook her head, "I don't really know him either. I think his name is Xiao Se."
"Xiao Se? The one who missed the Dou Qi test?"
"Judging by Cousin Xiao Ning's tone, it seems so."
"Sister Mei'er, who do you think will win between them?"
"Having survived training outside for a year and returned unscathed, he must have improved significantly. But I'm betting on Cousin Xiao Ning. You heard him—he's already at the seventh level of Dou Qi, which is enough to participate in the coming-of-age ceremony."
The other girls nodded, not believing that Xiao Ning could lose. After all, to them, Xiao Se was an unknown figure. If not for missing the Xiao family's annual test, few would even know of his existence.
"Make your move," Xiao Se said impatiently to Xiao Ning, who was still "warming up," ignoring the chatter around them.
It was obvious to anyone that Xiao Ning intended to use Xiao Se as a stepping stone to showcase his seventh-level Dou Disciple prowess and solidify his position as the top male in the Xiao family's younger generation.
"Hehe, Xiao Se, I don't know what you've been through this past year, but underestimate me, and you'll suffer for it." Seeing that nearly all the young members of the Xiao family had gathered, Xiao Ning stopped his warm-up, let out a laugh, and launched himself at Xiao Se. He raised his hand, now filled with cutting wind energy, and chopped down toward Xiao Se's shoulder.
"Huang Tier Advanced Dou Technique: Mountain-Cleaving Palm!"
Xiao Ning, aware of Xiao Se's strength, didn't hold back and used his strongest Dou Technique right from the start.
"Cousin Xiao Ning is so fast!" someone in the crowd exclaimed. But what happened next left them speechless.
In full view of everyone, Xiao Se calmly sidestepped Xiao Ning's chop, grabbed his elbow with one hand, flipped him over, and pressed his knee against Xiao Ning's back.
The entire sequence of moves flowed seamlessly without any unnecessary actions.
Xiao Ning was easily subdued.
"Aah, it hurts! Xiao Se, I give up! Let go of me, you're going to break my arm..." Xiao Ning, his wrist twisted painfully, grimaced and quickly admitted defeat.
Hearing Xiao Ning surrender, Xiao Se tossed him a jade bottle and said indifferently, "Use this to rub on it; you'll be fine by tomorrow."
Then, ignoring the stunned crowd, Xiao Se turned and walked away.
In the crowd, Xiao Yan was equally shocked. If this had happened before his Dou Qi vanished, he wouldn't have cared. But now, after a year, it seemed that everyone, including Xiao Ning who just lost, had made great progress.
Only he remained stuck at the third level of Dou Disciple, while Xiao Se gave him an unfathomable feeling. Xiao Yan had a strong hunch that even if his Dou Qi hadn't disappeared, he would've ended up just like Xiao Ning if he faced Xiao Se.
"Damn it," Xiao Yan muttered under his breath, quietly slipping away before anyone noticed him.
Inside the ancient ring on Xiao Yan's hand, Yao Lao, who no longer needed to sleep as often, was equally surprised. "This kid isn't simple. He didn't use Dou Qi or Soul Power to sense anything—he subdued Xiao Ning purely with his reflexes and exceptional dynamic vision. Let's see just how strong you are!" Yao Lao sent his Soul Power toward Xiao Se to investigate.
Meanwhile, Xiao Se, who hadn't gone far, suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Instinctively, he activated his Soul Defense Technique, covering his body in a protective layer of Soul Energy.
Yao Lao, sensing the defense before his Soul Power touched Xiao Se, quickly retracted his probe. He couldn't help but feel admiration. "What keen soul perception! If I hadn't pulled back my Soul Power in time..."
"Brother, that old man from the ring just tried to probe you with his Soul Power again. But when he sensed you had a soul defense, he backed off before being noticed," a soft voice of Long Kui rang in Xiao Se's mind.
Then, the voice of Hong Kui followed, "Brother, that Dou Emperor hiding in the shadows is watching you again. Should I go kill him?"
Xiao Se shook his head. "Not yet. That Dou Emperor is here to protect Xiao Xun'er, who, as I mentioned before, belongs to the Gu Clan, one of the ancient clans like the Soul Clan. As long as they don't notice you, everything is fine. Xiao Xun'er cares a lot about Xiao Yan. If we move against the Dou Emperor or Xiao Yan, that crazy girl might cause trouble. Plus, we'll need Xiao Yan and that old man to distract the Soul Clan in the future. Let's quietly continue building our strength."-
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At the Xiao family's rear courtyard, in Xun'er's pavilion.
Xun'er sat in the pavilion, sipping tea. Suddenly, a strange black mist gathered at the edge of the pavilion and eventually formed into a humanoid shape, kneeling before Xun'er.
"Old Ling, what happened?" Xun'er gently blew on her tea.
"Miss, Xiao Se has returned," Ling Ying said hesitantly.
Crash!
The jade cup in Xun'er's hand slipped and shattered on the ground. As Ling Ying watched, a single tear quietly fell from Xun'er's eye.
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